blind spots

Jehu, the army commander made king, the zealous assassin for the Lord, in the end was a failure. I read about him this morning in 1 Kings 10, and it occurred to me that Jehu’s problem was that he only partly got it. And then I figured out that I do to.

Verses 27-29 say, “They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day. So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.”

Jehu seemed to recognize that his job was to eliminate every vestige of evil brought to Israel by Ahab and Jezebel. He did that job thoroughly, as a military professional would. But he didn’t get that what God wanted was true worship of him alone, so Jehu left in place idols that were set up by an earlier king.

Jehu reminded me how easy it is to have blind spots, things in my life that I just don’t see because they’re too close. It’s easy for me to spot and condemn sin that’s out there, that other people are doing. It’s a lot harder for me to see all the ways my own life disappoints God.

Jehu did as he was commanded, but he obeyed the letter of his orders and never understood their intent. In the same way, I can interpret living for God as changing the world and never really get that first of all God wants to change me. 

How many sins do I accept because I don’t even see them as sin? That’s a question I won’t be able to answer until God shows me. One more thing to pray about.